Even Puppeteers Have Strings
by cherries-icecubes-and-coffee
Summary: Post Season 3. Montgomery's alive. An incredibly creepy killer,  with a liking for puppets  puts strain on all the members of the 12th. Will it pull everyone apart .. or bring them all considerably closer? My first ever FF.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One.

"Castle, I'm not guessing."

"Guess."

"I'm not guessing."

He had been like this since Beckett had picked him up from the loft this morning. Apparently he had some major news, but he couldn't just tell her, no. That would be too easy, too normal. She had to guess. The trouble was that this was Castle, meaning it could be anything. Where would she start? At first his perseverance was admirable, a little cute even - _not that she'd ever admit to it, of course. _But now it was plain annoying.

Thank God they were almost at the Precinct.

_Oh, brilliant. A red light._

How on Earth could there be this much traffic at 8am.

"I'll give you a clue."

"I don't need a clue, because I'm not guessing."

"Come on! It's Nikki-related!"

That got her attention.

" I am _not_ posing for 'Frozen Heat' cover art."

"Good idea! But that's not it."

Now she was overcome with down right I'm-Going-To-Throttle-You frustration.

_Finally, green._

She hadn't been called in this morning, but she had a tonne of paperwork littering her desk and she could hear it calling her name. By some unknown miracle, Castle had been roped into coming along to help her. That, coupled with the fact that the coffee was extra good this morning was the reason he was able to nag her for 20 minutes straight and still have an ear on either side of his head.

Now he was stomping his feet on the passenger side floor of her Crown Victoria and whining.

"Beeeeeeeeeeckeeeeeeeeeett!"

She slammed on the breaks having almost rammed into the midnight purple Sudan ahead of them.

She turned to glare and him, eyes narrows and the vein on the left side of her forehead pumping adrenaline. It looked ready to burst.

"_WHAT!_?"

Castle swallowed around the terrified lump in his throat.

"Umm.. I.. Uuhhh .. Doesn't matter."

Kate turned back to the road, loosening the death grip she had on the steering wheel and watching as her knuckles returned to their usual colour.

"Yeah. Didn't think so."

They pulled into the Precinct car park a mere 5 minutes later, Castle hadn't so much as squeaked since her little outburst. She felt sorry for him in a way, he was just excited, like a kid at Christmas. A spoilt, whiny kid with a book on '1001 Ways To Piss Off A Detective' under the tree. And Beckett had a feeling he would have said book memorised by Boxing Day. Hell, he probably wrote it.

The ride up on the elevator was as awkward as awkward could be. The accidental elbow bumps every time the lift jolted, they were awkward. The stolen glances when one thought the other wasn't looking, they were awkward. The overall silence that somehow managed to pollute the air - _awkward._ She couldn't take it anymore.

"You're getting a puppy."

"Wha .. I .. Huh ..?"

"You wanted me to guess, I'm guessing."

The elevator stopped and Beckett strode into the Bullpen, Castle at her heels. Following the swish of her hips, the bounce of her curls that tumbled across her shoulders and her cream coloured turtleneck and the _click clack_ of her 4-inch boots across the aged wooden planks.

She lowered herself into her chair after setting her coffee down on her desk and unravelling her scarf.

Castle followed pursuit, he set down his coffee, he discarded his coat, he sat down, he pulled out his iPhone.

He was still lost for words - _hah, imagine that. A writer , lost for words-_ she was actually playing along!

He regained his equilibrium, kinda.

"Oh .. Uuhh .. No, no puppy. Alexis doesn't think I can handle the responsibility." he sulked. "But no, it has to do with Nikki remember?"

She looked up from the first load of paperwork she had just begun.

"Oh, of course. Uumm .. Nikki's getting a puppy.?"

"Who's getting a puppy?" It was Ryan, he had just arrived in a snazzy new grey sweater vest - _from Jenny no doubt - _, phone in one hand, ' Heat Rises' in the other.

Castle cut in. "No one. No, Beckett, It's not a puppy."

"Okay guys, what's going on?"

"Well, I've got big Nikki News, but I'm not telling until our fine Detective here guesses."

Ryan still had a puzzled look about him, but decided to let it go.

'Right." And with that he left Castle to his Angry Birds and Beckett to her paperwork, so he could tend to the ever growing pile on his own desk.

Kate looked up from beneath her lashes and furrowed her brow.

_Cute._

"Uuumm .. Okay, not a puppy. Don't tell me you've returned to your _'Stripper by day, Cop by night'_ thing."

He seemed to consider that one for a while before he was the concern flood her eyes.

"Nope, too late in the series for that now."

Beckett breathed a sigh of relief, filled out the last of the page she was currently working on in her unreasonably neat block letters and flipped to the next sheet.

She was just about to ask if Nikki had gone to the Dark Side, when Ryan interrupted.

"Espo's on his way in. He sounds spooked."

Both Kate and Castle looked confused.

"Why?" asked Castle. "It's supposed to be his day off."

"That's why I'm worried."

Rick focussed his gaze back on Beckett, her eyes were glazed over and she was staring into space.

"Beckett?" He shook her arm.

No response.

"Kate!" He shook harder.

That seemed to bring her back to Earth.

"Hmmm ..?"

Just as Castle was about to ask where she disappeared to just now, Esposito walked in.

He walked with a certain urgency, and all the colour appeared to have been drained from his face. His skin was now a terrifying waxy white pallor.

He opened his mouth but the sound barely carried. "We've got a body."

The three other members of the team began to gather their coats.

"Wait."

They all halted and looked to him; questions plastered all over each of their faces.

"It's Karpowski."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Castle and Beckett collapsed in their chairs. Ryan fell against Kate's desk, the colour running from their faces. Despite the sudden shock, all eyes were trained on Detective Javier Esposito.

Beckett looked faint. Clearing her throat, she was the first to speak.

"Hmm Hmm.. Uh, where ..?"

She sounded fragile, as if she would shatter any second.

When Castle heard her attempt at normalcy, the worry was evident in his eyes.

"Central Park. It's .. It's sick, man. Really, awful." Esposito whispered.

Now it was Castle's turn to stutter.

"Uuumm .. How?"

His voice had lost all the buoyancy it had once possessed.

"I don't know, Dude. They're waiting for us to get out there."

All three nodded simultaneously and once again began gathering their coats.

The four of the made their way to the elevator.

This time there was no swish of the hips, just a gentle inevitable sway. This time there was no bounce of the curls across her shoulders, just a barely noticeable sullen bob. This time there was no _click clack_ of 4-inch boots atop the aged wooden boards, just a muffled drag.

The team stood shoulder to shoulder in the elevator, all looking dazed, no one saying a thing by mutual agreement, though unspoken, loud.

When the lift _dinged_ at the car park entrance, no one moved a muscle, each lost in their own thoughts.

_How could this happen._

_Poor Karpowski._

_I'm gonna get this son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do._

_They will pay._

_What about David?_

_How did I not notice she was gone?_

_Goddamn long weekends._

It was Castle who broke the heavy silence.

"Kate? Guys? We're at the car park."

In turn each of the Detectives emerged from their reverie and left their thoughts behind.

Castle saw the change from '_Devastated Friend'_ to _' Detective With A New Case'_. He could practically see the key lock away their personal feelings and the shutters slam shut over their eyes.

Kate was the first to move, albeit slowly. She grabbed Castle's right forearm and pulled him towards her cruiser.

"We'll see you guys there. Drive safe."

And with that, she slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Eyes focussed on the car park exit and the crime scene that awaited her beyond it.

_Yeah. Detective mode indeed._

Kate hadn't said a word since they entered the car. But then again, neither had he. There had been stolen glances, of course, there's _always_ stolen glances. Castle noted that her expression hadn't changed, not one bit, not since Esposito had delivered the news.

He watched her now, no movement. Her eyes were fixed on the road, and it saddened him, that she had that ability. That she could simply box it all in.

He snaked his arm over the control box and rested his left hand on her right thigh. He saw something then, her mouth; he could've sworn the corners of her mouth twitched and turned slightly upwards, almost a smile. Almost, but not quite.

Rick was about to pull his hand away when one of hers shot down from the steering wheel. She threaded the fingers of her right hand with the fingers of his left and squeezed it gently, holding it in place on her leg.

"Kate .." He breathed.

She snuck a glance his way.

Her voice cracked, " Not now, please?"

He couldn't say no to that. She was pleading him not to talk about it. Not now. They'd talk later, but not now.

Before they knew it, they were at the crime scene. Beckett pulled into the space my the Guy's Cruiser with ease. Castle reluctantly relinquished his hand when he saw Esposito and Ryan making their way towards them. Both as white as sheets.

Castle and Beckett clambered out of the car and began walking towards them. Both of them - still sporting ghostly pallors - nodded in acknowledgement and lead the Partners towards Lanie, who was standing at the base of an impressive Oak Tree. When she caught sight of Kate she dropped her clipboard and rushed over, greeting her in a bone crushing hug. Beckett just stood there. Totally unresponsive.

"Honey, I'm so sorry."

Beckett nodded, still emotionless. " Thanks, Lanie."

The ME then retreated, back to her tree, and her clipboard.

Just as Beckett began to move towards the little orange cones and the many Uniforms that all looked about ready to chuck, a hand appeared in front of her, and Esposito blocked her view.

"Beckett, are you sure you want to .. You know? I mean, we can give you the details back at the 12th. You really don't have to."

She stopped and looked at the Hispanic before her, he seemed generally concerned, and that worried her. It was then that she actually took in her surroundings ; A group of rookies reeling. A circle of little orange cones surrounding the base of the Tree. And Lanie and the Captain, both staring at the side of the Oak she couldn't see.

Kate had a bad feeling about this. She knew in her heart, she would find this scene difficult to look at. But she also knew that she had to find this guy, and she couldn't get him without getting a feel for him, and she couldn't get a feel for him without seeing what he had done.

She shook her head. " Thanks Espo, But I need to -"

"-I get it."

And with that, he let her pass.

Castle had been observing everyone, studying their reactions, since they had arrived. Even the Captain looked mortified.

Filled with dread, he ran to catch up with Kate.

He had to be by her side. There was no way in Hell she was going through this alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Esposito had been right, it was truly awful. As soon as the side of the Oak was in view, Kate had spun around, hand over her mouth, bent at the waist and tears streaming down her cheeks. Castle was ashen, he turned and began trying to comfort Kate by moving his hand around in large, smooth circles on her lower back. To no avail; she continued reeling. Pretty soon, Castle couldn't bear to watch her any longer. He gently guided her over to the park bench underneath the lamp post opposite them, and slowly lowered her onto the polished wooden seat. He couldn't blame her, he had only been exposed to the body for a few seconds, but the image was vivid, super glued to his mind. It was stuck, and he had a feeling it would be stuck there, taking residency in his mind for a long, long time.

_Karpowski was dressed up - She was wearing a white blouse with huge polka dots of every colour imaginable. The blouse had a ridiculously large collar with a red, frilly rim. She was also wearing bright red, knee-high shorts that were two sizes too big, being held up by braces of the same colour. Her eyes were closed _-thank goodness-_ but over her eyelids there were 2 large 'X's drawn in black. One over each eye, stretching from just above each eyebrow to the base of each cheekbone. A huge red smile was painted over her mouth, stopping just below her cheekbone on both sides. A dark line marked either side of her mouth. They began at the corners of her lips, and went straight down. Finally meeting underneath her chin. Giving the appearance of a removable jaw._

_Her hair darted out in all directions in it's usual frizzy manner. Her feet were bare, toenails and fingernails were painted white. Someone had really taken their sick time on them, her nails - they looked professionally manicured. _

_The worst thing. The most horrible aspect. Was the way she had been staged._

_She was being held half way up the trunk of the tree. There was white string, stained by blood wrapped around her wrists and ankles. The string continued up into the Oak and disappeared beneath the foliage. _

_It was pulling her limbs at all different angles. Her right leg was pointing straight down, but her other leg was bent to the left at a 90 degree angle. Both elbows were bent downwards at odd angles, her wrists limp, dangling above her head._

_She looked like a puppet._

He shivered, even thinking about it was too much. He turned his attention back to the woman sitting next to him. She was quivering, her elbows on her knees, and her head resting in her hands. This was not the Bad Ass Hard Nosed Detective Beckett he knew. No, this must be Kate.

His hand returned to it's rightful place on her back. He wasn't so sure it was even comforting her. But he had to do something, at this point he would do anything.

Glancing up, he saw Esposito and Ryan heading towards them. He patted Kate on the back once, just to let her know he was moving. He stood up and walked to where the Guys were waiting for him, not wanting Beckett to hear what they had to say.

"Hey man, how is she?" Esposito asked, tilting his head towards Beckett.

Rick turned around to look at his her, she was now sitting up. Her hands limp in her lap, her eyes were red and foggy, and she had mascara running down her cheeks. She was staring into space. He reluctantly pulled his gaze away from his beautiful but broken Partner and refocused on Esposito.

He sighed. " She's not good. Really, terrible. I've never seen her like this before."

Ryan nodded. " Doesn't surprise me, they've known each other since the Academy. Graduated in the same class and everything"

Castle shook his head. " Man … Find anything? We have to put this thing to rest. For Kate."

"We know, Bro. Lanie said T.O.D was 12-14 hours ago."

"What? That long ago…..that's strange .. Cause of death ..?"

"This is where it gets really, really creepy. Judging by the appearance and state of the body, Lanie says blood loss .. Only problem is -"

Ryan cut in. "- No visible life threatening wounds."

Castle looked between them, "What? How is that possible?"

"We think the perp killed her, cleaned her up, dressed her up and then staged her. This guy takes major pride in his work."

Rick shivered. "That's sick."

"Tell me about it." The Partners replied in unison.

"Know how he got her here?"

Ryan pointed to a gravel track emerging from a vast array of trees and shrubs of all sizes.

"There are footprints in the track, deeper on the way in than they are on the way out -"

"-Meaning someone came in with something heavy but left without it."

"Right. Plus, they're the only set of tracks there, because it rained last night -"

"- Meaning she was put here recently."

"Exactly. It's half 9 now, and it stopped raining at about 6 this morning."

"Really recently."

At that moment all three of them turned back to look at Beckett. She hadn't moved a muscle since Castle had last seen her.

Esposito broke the silence. "Dude, take her home."

Ryan nodded. "Your home, not hers."

Castle sighed. "Yeah, okay. Ring if you find anything new."

"Of course, Bro."

Both the guys patted him on the back and bee lined for Lanie.

Castle walked slowly over to Beckett, she looked up so she could see him through her grief-soaked lashes. He held his hand out in front of her and she took it, entwining her fingers with his own. She let him lead her to the Cruiser, she even let him slide her into the passenger seat. Under normal circumstances he'd be thrilled, but they weren't and he wasn't.

The ride back to his place took a while, but no one said a thing. It wasn't until Castle was pulling into his building's parking garage, that Beckett spoke up.

"Uh .. Castle? What are we doing here? Or, more importantly, what am _I _doing here?"

Castle turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He unbuckled his belt so he could turn to face her.

"You're staying here, for tonight at least."

She was about to protest, tell him she didn't need looking after, and insist that she was fine. But she recognised the tone he had used to address her. This wasn't a question, or an offer, this was an order, an order drenched in concern.

She laid off the Death Glare she had him under, undid her belt, and got out of the car. Castle did the same, making sure to lock the car afterwards. They walked side by side to the elevator. Once safely inside, Kate grabbed his hand once again, and pecked him on the cheek. Whispering in his ear as she went.

"Thank you."

Rick smiled. "Always."

As soon as they exited the lift , Rick caught sight of his door. His jaw slackened , the hand Kate had been holding was now up at her chest, holding her back. Kate followed his gaze and almost fell against the wall behind her. On Castle's door was a piece of paper, brutally nailed into the red wood. It had been scrawled across with an ugly black marker. It read:

"_Not to worry,_

_She was just the beginning._

_Ricky, Katie, Hurry!_

_I'd hate for you to miss the show._

_But not to worry,_

_You'll be starring in it soon enough."_

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><p><strong>Please Review(: I don't know if I should continue or not. And if anyone has any ideas or constructive critism it will be greatly appreciated(: Thank you :D<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rick was speechless, his eyes wide.

_He knows where I live._

Kate unholstered her Sig Sauer with the hand that was previously linked to Rick's and pushed past the hand trying to hold her back, motioning for him to be quiet on the way.

Castle stepped back from the door, taking out his phone , ready to ring Esposito and Ryan should they need back up.

Beckett crouched down by the door, balancing on the balls of her feet. The distress of earlier long forgotten. She had a job to do, she had to make sure the letter on the door was the last of this guy's torment.

She was startled to find the door slightly ajar. She turned to Castle and mouthed.

"Where's Alexis?"

His heart raced and he fell back against the wall, sliding to the floor.

He whispered back, his voice was hoarse, as if it pained him to speak.

"It's the Summer Holidays, she was asleep when I left."

Kate's eyes widened, she felt her stomach drop to the floor.

_No, she had to stay professional._

She nodded. "Martha?"

Castle looked up from the floor, "Theatre."

She nodded again, it was then she noticed his deathly complexion and put her left hand on Rick's closest foot.

"Hey," She whispered, bringing his eyes back up to meet hers. " It's barely 10am, she's a teenager on Summer break. Chances are she's still asleep, or out with friends. Safe and sound."

He nodded and returned his gaze to the wooden boards beneath them. Silently wishing they would open up and swallow him whole, hurtling him into Oblivion.

Kate could practically see his train of thought, she had travelled those particular tracks herself numerous times before.

She could stay there, watching him forever, but her positioning was putting strain on her calves. Reluctantly, she turned back to the door, not one hundred percent sure she wanted to see what awaited her on the other side.

Still clutching her gun with both hands, she shouldered the door open with her right and rolled in to the left, bringing the gun up in front of her all in one swift, fluid impossibly fast movement. Despite the fact that she had done this hundreds of time before, this somehow felt different. Really different. Like there was so much more at stake.

She saw something out of the corner of her eye, and spun around, ready to shoot.

It was Castle, bee-lining for the stairs.

"Castle!" She hissed, "Stay!"

He took one last look at the staircase and shuffled back to his position in the doorway.

Naturally, Beckett checked all the downstairs rooms first, taking extra care to check every nook and cranny. She found nothing out of the ordinary.

After checking his bedroom and ensuite she jogged back into the main room. Finding Castle fidgeting in the doorway, glancing up the stairs every few seconds. Kate took one deep breath and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Gun held in front of her at an arm's length.

When she reached the top of the staircase, Alexis's bedroom door was wide open. Kate stepped inside and scanned the room with her Sig simultaneously. She pushed the door right back against the wall to make sure no one was hiding behind it. _clear._

She stopped abruptly when she caught side of the bed. It was a Queen, decorated with a red and mahogany expensive looking comforter and matching pillows.

Holstering her gun, she moved around to the side of the bed to get a better view. Her hand flew to her mouth and she staggered backwards, almost knocking over the girl's chest of drawers behind her.

_No. no. no. no. NO!_

Alexis was there. Yeah, she was there. She was lying under her sheets, her amber hair, glowing, splaying out on her satin pillow. She looked serene. But her face, her beautiful, flawless skin. It was ruined. She had a large 'X' in black over each eyelid. A red smile painted over the better half of her face. And a black line on either side of her mouth, meeting under her chin.

Kate felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She _loved_ this girl. _Really_ loved her. How was she going to tell Castle. He wouldn't even blame her, like he should , he would blame _himself. _How was she going to tell him that -

_Wait. Movement._

She ran over to Alexis's bedside, kneeling down. Kate grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her vigorously.

"Alexis! Alexis, honey! Wake up! Please!"

Alexis opened her eyes, clearly startled by the commotion, then thought better of it and squinted against the harsh light.

"What? I .. Uh .. Detective Beckett ..?"

She sat straight up, " Oh, no! Is it my Dad? Did he get shot!" She then raised her hand and began scratching at her cheek, causing red flakes to litter her pillow.

_she must be able to feel it._

Kate let go of a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and grabbed her wrist so she would stop destroying the evidence marking her face.

"No, honey. Stop. No, no, he's fine, you're fine. Everybody's fine."

Alexis furrowed her brow and looked down at the hand Kate was holding, noticing the red under her long nails.

"Well, um . .then, what? I'm sure it's way too early for this, but .. Why is there red paint on my face?"

Kate looked at her, not sure what to say and what to hold back.

Deciding to leave the talking to Castle, she helped the girl out of her bed and wrapped her arms around her. Alexis seemed confused, but welcomed the embrace.

Kate then released her, and pulled her towards the door. Stopping when they were almost at the top of the staircase. Beckett let go of her hand and turned to her, placing one firm hand on each shoulder. Looking directly into her eyes, searching for some level of understanding.

"Stay here until I say so. Don't touch your face, don't look in a mirror, and try not to freak out. Your dad will explain everything soon."

Alexis looked wary but could see the uneasiness on Kate's face, she nodded and moved just inside her bedroom door.

The Detective smiled and then turned round and practically flew down the stairs. Stopping before she completely bowled over the totally nerve wrecked Writer, who had magically appeared down the bottom of the staircase.

She hadn't realised how long she had left him down there.

_Shit._

"Kate! You were up there for ages! Is Alexis okay? Where is she?"

Kate put a hand on his shoulder, trying to deter his irritating bouncing.

"Hey! She's perfectly fine -"

"- Then why isn't she with you?"

"It's just -"

"- Just what?"

"Castle! Shut up and let me finish at least one damn sentence, would you? She's fine, as I was saying. It's just that .. He was here. He was in her room," She saw the pure terror whitewash his eyes. She hastily continued, " He didn't harm her, like I said, she's fine. He did however .. Umm .. " She wasn't quite sure how to put it. " Draw …? On her."

He looked sick to his stomach.

"Like .. " He cleared his throat. " Like, Karpowski?"

Kate looked down and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm telling you now, so you don't freak out, okay? I told her not to look in a mirror, and not to touch her face."

"Right, OK. Can't I just wash it off?"

She looked resentful, shaking her head slowly, she answered him. "Not yet, it's evidence."

"Yeah, got it. Can I see her now?"

She smiled, "Yeah. Of course."

Beckett moved to the first step of the staircase and called out, with one hand on either side of her mouth so her voice would carry.

" OK, Alexis! You can come down now!"

She all but sprinted out of her room, nearly slamming into the wall when she had to turn to make her way down the stairs, due to her sock clad feet.

"Dad! What's going on?" She asked while enveloping him, after nearly knocking him to the floor with the sheer force of her hug.

Castle acted as if nothing was wrong. As if his daughter hadn't been graphitised by a psychopath with a thing for puppets.

_Impressive._

"Oh, nothing major, Sweetie. I can explain it all later. How about you go and sit in the library, while Detective Beckett and I have a quick chat? We'll be with you in a minute."

Alexis looked up from where her head was resting on her father's chest, her eyebrows raised.

"Alright," She sighed. " But you owe me an explanation, and it had better be a good one." She released her dad, and started making her way towards the library, with a spring in her step, and her long hair trailing after.

"We'll explain everything later, promise!" He called after her.

"You had better!" She yelled over her shoulder.

Once Alexis had rounded the corner, Beckett turned to Castle.

"Nicely handled, but why the library?"

"No reflective surfaces."

She nodded. "Aah, well done."

"Thanks," He said, while walking over to close the front door. When he pulled it away from the wall Beckett had pushed it up against earlier, something caught his eye.

Another note, nailed to the _inside_ of his door. He ripped it off the rusty nail impaling the expensive wood, holding it up for Beckett to see.

"Uh .. Beckett ..?"

She spun around to face him.

"Yea, Ca-"

'_you were lucky this time._

_I was taught to never try playing with a dormant puppet.'_

"Call the Guys. Tell them to get everyone down here. Now."

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Thank you for sticking with the story so far! Please let me know if you have any ideas. Constructive criticism is really appreciated. <strong>

** Oh, also .. I've got A LOT of homework recently, you know .. practice internals and all that .. gross. But yeah, because of all that, I'm not sure how long it'll be 'til the next chapter! But I'll try to get it done ASAP(: **

**Please review, if you can :D x**


	5. Chapter 5

******I am soooo so incredibly sorry that this took me so long to upload! I just haven't had any time recently, but now the 2 week holidays have started so hopefully Chapter 6 wont take as long, thank you so much for sticking with it. Enjoy(:**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. But a girl can dream, right? (:**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 5<span>**

The next 6 hours were spent with CSU and most of the members of the 12th. After having photos taken and samples collected, Castle was finally able to wash his daughter's face. He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her from where she had been sitting while being poked and prodded by the team from the Crime Scene Unit, and even some of their friends from Forensics. "Dad! What're you-?"

"Don't talk. Walk. Quickly."

Alexis stopped abruptly and reclaimed her fist.

Spinning around, Rick saw the questions littering her face, her eyes in particular.

"Dad. Stop." She looked fierce, determined, reminding him of a certain Detective. He tried desperately to maintain eye contact, but it was too painful. That imbecile had polluted her. He cringed and shifted his eyes to said Detective, she was standing over Alexis's left shoulder and was currently taking part in a knock-down drag-out with God-knows-who about God-knows-what.

"Dad!," Alexis blurted, returning his eyes to hers. "What is going on!"

He searched her eyes, questions, questions and more questions. But there it was, tucked away in the back corner, almost out of sight but not quite. Innocence and worry.

_Worry for herself ..? Or for him ..?_

He gulped. "How about Beckett and I go over all of it with you later ..? Over dinner, maybe."

Alexis craned her neck so she could see the woman in question battling it out with someone, this someone looked quite refined she thought. Quite 'up-there'. And she assumed he was fighting a losing battle, anyone going against Detective Beckett generally was.

She sighed, turning back to Castle. "Dad .. I'm in my pajamas. I haven't even had breakfast .. Or lunch .. And you want to talk this over at dinner?"

"The we'll just have to make it a Brunner."

She smiled a faint smile and ran her hand through her hair.

"You have a solution for everything, don't you?"

He just looked at her, there was no way he was budging. So she resigned.

"Fine. It's a deal. But this had better be good. It had better be better than good. It had better be phenomenal."

Her father released a breathe he had obviously been holding , causing his lips to vibrate against one another.

"Oh .. You wont be disappointed."

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><p>Rick put his hands under Alexis's arms and hoisted her up onto the counter in the master bedroom. He had made certain she would not be able to hee herself in the mirror.<p>

He pointed at her, "Don't turn around."

She huffed and glared at him. In response he tilted his head to the right and raised an eyebrow. She knew there was no point in arguing, he wasn't backing down, she threw her hands in the air and dropped them back into her lap.

"Fine."

Castle straightened up, lowering his eyebrow, and grinned. "Good girl."

He bent down to the cabinet beneath the marble surface she was seated on, trying his best not to be struck by the cotton clad feet swinging back and forth.

After a lot of searching and rearranging, he rose to the surface carrying what he needed; a face cloth and a bottle of Heavy-Duty Make-up Remover, he wasn't 100% sure why it was in there, but mentally thanked his mother for her invasion of his privacy.

Alexis looked up from her position on the counter, staring at the objects in her father's large hands.

"Okay, I was going to ask you what was going on, for the millionth time .. But I think the more important question is 'What on earth are you doing with that," She nodded to the make-up remover, " 'in your bathroom cabinet?'"

He looked down at the white bottle of 'Heavy-Duty Make-up Remover for Divas' in his hands. His cheeks reddened and he looked back to his daughter. "Hmm .. I .. It's not .." He cleared his throat, "It's Gram's"

Alexis giggled, " Yeah. Sure it is, that's why you're blushing."

He scowled. "They are!"

She seemed to brighten up at that. Castle couldn't quite figure out why.

"They ..? What else do you have down there? Huh, Dad? Anything we should talk about?"

_Oh._

He scanned the room, as if he was looking for back up. When he realised he was drowning and there was no-one around to through him a Life-Saver, he spun back around.

"I had them for .. Um .. Character research."

The girl raised a cross-shadowed eyebrow, "Really, Dad? Character research? How many times are you gonna use that one? It's getting old."

"Shut up. Sit still." He said, quietly. Obviously aware that he had been busted to the max by his teenage daughter.

A triumphant smile spread across her lips and she stuck out her chin, offering him her face.

"Thank you," He sighed.

He knelt down, using his left hand to cup the opposing side of Alexis's face and began scrubbing vigorously at her pale, yet polluted, face with the Diva Eraser soaked cloth.

She pulled away.

"Woah! Dad, chill. Are you actually trying to erase my face? Because that's where this is headed. I don't even wear make-up to bed, you know?"

"Well, Ye- Um no! No, sorry sweetie, I'll be gentle. Just .. Gimme your face?"

Alexis nodded warily and returned to her previous position.

He father smiled apologetically and resumed his duty.

* * *

><p>"Hey, guys. How's it going?"<p>

Castle and Alexis both looked up and saw Kate with her armed folded across her chest, leaning against the door-jamb.

Rick's lips curved upwards, forming a tender sort of smile. "Hey," He began softly. "Slowly. But it's progress."

Beckett nodded and let her eyes sweep over Alexis, she was looking at her father with inquisitive eyes, but who could blame her?. The red from the painted on curve had smudged a little and caused her cheeks to have a slight reddish tinge. The black over the eyes and under her chin was barely visible, but a residual trace still remained.

She nodded, "Still, progress is progress."

Castle, still scrubbing, turned his head back to the extraordinary woman standing in his doorway. He smiled sweetly, then nodded to the man in the tan suit over her shoulder, conversing with a uniform, the one she had been arguing with previously. "What was that about?"

Kate glanced over her right shoulder, even though she knew exactly who he was talking about, she looked back at him and shrugged, "Oh, nothing. There was just something we couldn't really agree on. That's all."

"Ah, who won?"

She and Alexis shared a glance and then both rolled their eye's simultaneously at the man-child kneeling on the beige-tiled bathroom floor.

_Scary._

"Who d'you think?"

His eyes glittered. "That's my girl."

She stood up straight and tall, raising her eyebrow. "Excuse me? 'Your girl' ..?"

Alexis looked as if she was about to burst out laughing.

Then she did.

Rick looked between his expectant partner in the doorway, and his teenage daughter who was currently laughing so hard he was worried she'd fall off the counter and hurt herself.

"I .. Um. What I meant was - .. That's not what I meant -"

The Detective chuckled under her breath. "Forget it, Castle. Just let me know when you're done and then we can get going."

Alexis steadied herself by placing her hands firmly on her father's broad shoulders. She was still giggling, "Hah, sorry, um -" She inhaled deeply, in an attempt to regain her composure. " Where are we going.?"

Kate smiled. "My place."

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, I am so incredibly sorry it took me so long to get it uploaded! I'm trying really hard to get the next chapter done as soon as possible(: Reviews are welcome 3<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**I worked as hard as I could to get this up ASAP, and it's probably my favourite chapter so far (By far my longest) .. I wasn't too keen on the previous one. Also! Rise was on last night (It's about freaking time) So I was a complete mess last night, but I got this up, so now I'm happy(: Enjoy :D**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 6<span>**

"Shit." Beckett dropped her keys for the third time since entering her apartment building.

She wasn't focussed, Castle thought, she had bypassed the elevator saying she felt like working her calves. He knew it was something more.

She was freaked.

She was fine at the loft. She had seemed to be herself on the ride over, despite the protective detail Montgomery had refused to pull which annoyed her to the max. But then .. Then her phone went off. She received that text. The one she shrugged off.

Her phone. He need to see her phone.

She was spooked, Detective Katherine Beckett did not get spooked.

Rick had his arm draped over Alexis's thin shoulders, holding her back. He made sure they were both a fair number of steps behind Beckett at all times.

Kate was refusing to let her eyes rest on any one object for more than a few seconds at a time. She was checking around walls with her hand resting on the butt of her gun at her hip before they even came close to clearing the corner. Now they were standing at her door and New York's finest Detective was having trouble finding the key to her apartment.

She glanced down the hallway and back to where Alexis and her father were waiting. She bent down, scooped up her key chain from the wooden floor, aged by careless citizens scuffing their shoes along the panels and the useless polishing done by maintenance, then straightened herself back up before Castle could blink.

She began fumbling with her keys once again but seemed to have more luck this time. She slid the key into the brass lock, the mechanisms inside the door clicked and it creaked open.

Kate pushed her door flat against the wall and peered around the door frame. She made a sweeping notion with her arm when she was satisfied with her survey. Signalling to Rick and Alexis, letting them know that it was fine for them to enter without saying a word.

Rick nodded his thanks and ushered his daughter inside, all the while watching and trying his utmost to read the shifty Detective at the door. Said Detective then stuck her head back out into the corridor they had just passed through and cased the area once more. Something must have caught her eye - she did multiple double-takes before pushing the door shut and setting the dead bolt, following the Castles into her living area.

* * *

><p><em>I knew that text would get to her. So it should. The way she reacted to it. The way that writer bastard was trying to figure out what was wrong. <em>

_Thrilling._

_He thinks he knows everything._

_He thinks he knows better than everyone else._

_He even thinks he knows Kate better._

_He's wrong._

_I knw Kate way better than 'Rick' ever has, and ever will._

'_Rick' is an idiot._

'_Rick' is self- centered._

'_Rick' is wrong._

'_Rick' doesn't deserve her._

_I DESERVE HER._

_She is mine._

_She loves me. Not him._

_He pondered this as he watched the cocky Hispanic struggle against the restraints._

_This will teach them._

_The young girl, the ginger. That hurt them, yeah. But not enough._

_But this, he thought, this will show them. All of them._

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

Kate craned her neck to look at him over the couch.

"Hey," She began softly. "How is she?"

Castle planted himself on the spare cushion next to Kate and lolled his head back against the soft material covering the back of the couch.

"She's .." He rubbed a hand over his face, the activities of the day behind them finally catching up to him. It felt as if he was gaining years just recounting the previous hours. " Shaken. Really shaken. She's having a shower now."

She nodded. "I thought she might need one. Just hope she doesn't scrub herself raw .. I'd want to."

Castle watched her, sipping distractedly at her tea, her knees pulled to her chest. Concern overpowered every feature of his tired face. "Uh-huh. Yeah, I guess I would too."

Kate continued to slowly drink her tea. Staring out into space, straining thin air, searching for something that wasn't there.

He moved closer to her, she didn't flinch. He placed one large warm palm on her knee, using his other to gently pry her fingers from the white ceramic and set it on the coffee table, entwining her newly freed hand with his.

"Hey," Her eyes halted in their frantic scanning of the room and connected with his, they had always reminded her of the colour revealed when the ocean shook hands with the sky at dusk. Now, they seemed blank to her. Everything seemed blank to her. And he noticed. Boy, had he noticed.

Kate had appeared distant, she was there physically but in no other way. Her mind was elsewhere, she had disconnected. Even over dinner, when they were explaining the situation to Alexis. She had just put it bluntly, as if she was filling in a fellow detective on the case, not a teenage girl who had just been violated by a psychopath.

He looked into her now and he barely recognised the woman before him. He was used to the tough, compartmentalised, professional, Detective Beckett. Not distant, blank, worried, frantic, shocked into submission, Kate.

This version of his partner was not known to him, she looked familiar, sure, but in that way that people sometimes do when you see them out of context: your Grocery clerk standing in line at the bank, or your postman sitting across the aisle of a Movie Theatre.

She sighed, "As long as you and Alexis are settled in, I think I'd better head to bed." Moving to stand, she started to loosen the grip her fingers held on Castle's.

"Kate." He sounded concerned.

She continued, "Chances are you wont be up before me. But if so, help yourself to cereal, coffee and toast and things .."

"Kate."

"There're extra blankets in the linen closet. In between the bathroom and spare bedroom .."

"Kate," He stood beside her. "Please, what's going on?"

She seemed to soften a little.

"I'm tired, Rick. Please, I'm just .." She ran a hand through her hair, her other resting on her hip. "I'm not shutting you out. Don't think I could if I wanted to." She cracked a grin, but it dissolved as rapidly as it had appeared. " But not now. Now I just need to rest. Tomorrow. Tomorrow we can talk."

Rick stood there, watching as she double - triple - checked the locks on her door, sliding the chain into place. She gathered her things from the table and padded barefoot into her bedroom.

"Night, Kate."

She smiled, " Night, Rick."

And with that she closed the door, clicking it into place behind her.

Castle heard the water being shut off upstairs. He switched off the floor-to-ceiling lamp in the corner and made his way upstairs. Longing for a good night's sleep with his daughter at his side. But he doubted he would ever be able to shake the image of Kate's vacant eyes from his head.

* * *

><p><em>Sleep well Katie. While you still can. Sweet dreams my darling.<em>

* * *

><p>Kate awoke the next morning to the sound of bacon sizzling, coffee brewing and pots clattering.<p>

She stretched, releasing a long yawn, propping herself up against the headboard.

Thinking a good night's sleep would set her straight was stupid. It was obvious Castle knew something was up, and he was relentless. But a good night's sleep was the opposite of what she had experienced last night. That damn text.

' _I knew it was true. You should've told me, you know. But I'm getting close. I forgive you. I'll save you soon. Don't worry.'_

It was like a broken record, she had long ago gone past the point of memorising it. Now it was driving her insane. She had tried, God knows she had tried to purge it from her memory. She had failed miserably; it was stronger than ever, imprinted in her mind.

She had to tell Castle. She had promised him she would. Today. She was finding it impossible to keep most things from him these days anyway.

Slowly she pushed her comforter to the side and rotated, placing her feet on the cold, wooden floor. She moved over to her dresser and pulled on some pale grey ankle socks, thinned on the sole from over-use, before trekking into her bathroom to splash her face.

* * *

><p>Castle had woken just before seven. After kissing his still sleeping daughter on the forehead, he jumped out of bed and tip toed down the stairs, being sure not to make too much noise. He figured that Kate would still be asleep, and he was determined to let her sleep for as long as need be.<p>

He'd entered the kitchen in search of something to brighten the spirits of the two most important people in the world to him. Deciding on a delicious breakfast, he had set to work finding what he thought he would need. He was currently cooking bacon, cracking eggs, brewing coffee, setting up the toaster and seeking out any kind of fruit he could add to the feast.

He had just started chopping up the strawberries, when a very casual and torn, yet still absolutely breathtaking, Kate Beckett emerged from the door opposite him, phone in hand. She was dressed in a pair of woollen grey ankle socks, black athletic shorts and a dark blue shirt that was two sizes too big. Her hair was tied back in a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck.

She put on a smile which appeared to turn into more of a grimace with each step she took towards the man in her kitchen. He set the pace with a comforting smile of his own.

His face fell as she moved closer still and he took in the puffy redness surrounding her eyes.

Taking no notice of the blatant change in his demeanour, she moved over to the counter he was working on and sat atop one of the stools situated in front of it.

"Where's Alexis?" She asked.

Castle set down the knife and looked at her, "She's still sleeping. Where're you?"

Kate looked down at her hands, fiddling with her phone beneath the counter. She thumbed through her inbox until she found the message she sought, opening the file she slid the phone across the worktop to him.

He looked at her warily, trying to figure out what he was about to get himself into. But her face was buried in her hands. Unreadable.

He sighed and carefully spun the phone around to face him, lifting it off the surface. He read over the text. Glanced up at Kate. Read it again. His rage building and causing his face to change to a brighter shade of red each time he registered the words on the screen.

He set the device face down on the granite.

"Kate," His voice broke. "Who?"

He head rose from the sieve of her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks, she shrugged.

"Hey." He breathed, moving around to stand between Kate and the stool next to her. Rick used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears, before pulling her into a tender embrace, one of his hands drawing smooth patterns in between her shoulder blades.

She was stiff for a brief moment, but then she folded into him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She laid her head against his chest, in an attempt to keep her breathing in sync with the rhythm of his heart. She soon discovered there was no point in even trying; the dam behind her eyes broke and her tears fell free, soaking her partner's flannel to the skin.

"Hey," He whispered again. "Sssh, Kate."

"It's my fault." She hiccupped.

He gently separated the two of them, lifting her chin so she had no choice but to look up at him.

"Now, you listen to me," He tucked a few tear soaked tendrils behind her ear. "None of this is your fault. Okay? None of it. It's the rat bastard who did this. It's his fault. All of it. Not even the slightest yours. Understood?"

She lowered her eyes, boring holes into the wet patch she had left on Rick's shirt, before looking back up to him and nodding weakly.

"Good." He smiled. "Now you," He moved away and helped Beckett get to her feet. "Have already given me a shower," He laughed, pulling the soaked material away from his chest, before letting go and allowing it to pang back into place, clinging to his skin once again. Even she seemed to laugh at that. "And I think one would do you good. So how about you go and do that, while I cook up a new batch of bacon, this one seems to bear a slight resemblance to my Mothers' many failed attempts at brunch and quite frankly it's shameful."

Her head bobbed in consent and she swiped at the last of the tears lingering on her cheek bones with the back of her hand, smiling gently. She picked up her phone and slowly actuated back to her bedroom, heading for the adjoining bathroom.

* * *

><p>All of five minutes had passed when Kate re-entered the kitchen, Alexis was up by then and had begun to help with the cutting of the various fruits Castle had laid out.<p>

Rick seemed confused when she first appeared, she was still in her bed clothes and her hair was still bone dry apart from the odd strand fused to her face from before.

She looked devastated. Utterly distraught. Fresh tears left salty trails down either side of her face.

Alexis froze, clearly freaked. She had, after all, never seen Detective Beckett in this state, never witnessed this side of the woman.

Castle dropped everything and sped over to her, placing a firm hand on one of her shoulders.

"Kate. Honey, what's wrong?"

Beckett, would have scolded him for that 'Honey' comment. But not Kate. Not now.

She brought her lashes off her cheeks and held up her phone.

"Ryan rang," She croaked. "Lanie rang him," She cleared her throat, on the verge of yet another breakdown. "Esposito. He's …"

"Kate, look at me." Her eyes rose to meet his. "You're safe. What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "He's gone."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked it(: I'm a little stuck on what to do next, I know where I want this story to end up, but have no idea how to get it there .. any ideas on how to fill in the blanks are appreciated. Any ideas at all(: 3<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

"Kate!"

Kate's nearly bowled over by a beside-herself Lanie as soon as she walks through the door to her apartment. Luckily, Castle has entered right behind her and is able to brace her, otherwise she would've toppled over and landed flat on her back.

Kate steadies herself and moves forward, still attached to her friend, so Castle can enter. He sweeps a reassuring hand across Lanie's shoulders, nods to Kate, and makes his way to talk to a uniform standing in the bedroom doorway

"What happened?" He demands, his voice stern and controlled, he doesn't care if he comes off rude, or arrogant, or whatever. This is one of his best friends, and he's in the hands of a psychopath, this is not the time to be polite.

The uniform is clearly shocked by his outburst, and scurries off to find someone higher up on the food chain. Detective Ryan reappears, with said rookie in tow. The rookie not so discreetly points to Castle and mumbles something in the Detective's ear, Ryan glares at the obvious cheek of the uniform and waves him off, telling him to be useless elsewhere.

He hastily walks over to Castle, bringing a wave of relief with him.

"Hey man," He says, with a single pat to the back. "How's she holding up?"

Rick sneaks a glance sideways, to where Kate and Lanie have seated themselves on the latte brown leather couch. Kate makes eye contact with him briefly before offering the box of tissues to her girlfriend and continuing to listen and decode her cry talk. It's there in her eyes, just how much she feels for Lanie, how much she wishes she could make everything better.

"She's not. I know it's hit her hard," He sighs, turning back to Ryan, "But she doesn't flinch, you know?"

"I do know," Ryan sighs, echoing his own. "All too well."

Castle lifts a hand and places it on the Detective's shoulder, smiling weakly.

"Anyway, how's _she_ doing?" Rick says, gesturing to Lanie.

Ryan shrugs. "She's distraught, you know? But .. that's understandable."

"Yeah. And you?"

He looks up at Castle, moisture in his outstanding blue, albeit cloudy, eyes. "I .. I don't know. I just need this to be over with. Javi's my best friend. And .. I don't know what I'd do .. I mean .. if this guy hurts him .. in any way .. it will be the end of him. We need to get this sicko. Now more than ever."

He nods, "I know, bro."

…..'

_He spins around, placing his binoculars on his desk_.

'_They're all so dense,' he thinks. 'as if they could ever "get" me. Honestly.'_

_He begins the short walk back to his … area._

_He passes a lady with a stroller, 'She's too young to be a mother. '_

_Sees a woman, mid thirties he supposes, walking arm in arm with her slightly older boyfriend. _

'_I bet she cheated on her original boyfriend, her better boyfriend, her more appropriately aged boyfriend. I bet he knew the whole time, too. I bet the whore and her sugar daddy thought they were being so careful, so clever. I bet they were wrong.'_

_He arrives at his destination, pulls his key out of his jean pocket, and turns it in the lock._

_Opening the door he sees the trail of blood leading back out the entrance, the empty metal chair frame, the restraints lying on the concrete floor. The lone bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminates the no longer occupied room. Illuminates his failure._

…

Back at the Precinct, everything is a blur. Everyone is running at full bore. Desperate to put the killer/abductor behind bars. For life.

Kate looks up at the murder board, completely covered in dry-erase marker. Possible suspects written in red; the only possibilities they've been able to obtain are through criminal records, belonging to perps with similar (Not that there are any. The closest they've come is a patient who was once committed to mental institute, he dressed up as a clown and climbed trees in Central Park, telling passersby to climb up and 'join his private circus'. _Not very promising._). The possible motives are scribbled in orange; naturally , they have pretty much nothing written in that particular colour due to their complete lack of suspects. The evidence and the victim has been put as one, scrawled in blue. Many photos are tacked up in the blue area, each with a brief description. This is the busiest section of the board. Kate scans over the photos of the crime scene, the costume, the tree, the make-up, the positioning, Karpow – the victim, and there, right at the bottom, a photo with a border consisting of all 3 colours, a print out of the text she had received.

Castle appears at the side of her desk, obstructing her view of the board and hands her a coffee.

"Thanks, Castle." She says softly.

Castle nods and takes his seat, Beckett's eyes return to the murder board.

"Hey?" He begins, drawing her eyes back to him. "What're you still doing here? You should be at home, or with Lanie."

"No," she says, a hint of steel in her voice. "I need to be here. Lanie's fine, she's with Alexis and – "

"Kate. Stop kidding yourself, you're not doing any good here. You're worn out, you need rest, you need food, you need family. What you don't need is to be sitting here, blurring lines on the murder board. If anything comes up, Ryan will call. You know that there is no way he's leaving – "

"-exactly, so - "

"- So … you also know he would never leave you in the dark. You can come back to your apartment, with me. You can get some rest. Come back with fresh eyes."

"Yeah .. but I - "

He glares at her.

"Fine."

She stands up, sighing in resignation.

Castle stands up and goes to tell Ryan they're leaving, giving Beckett the time to get her stuff together.

When he returns he finds Kate waiting at the outskirts of the bull pen, her bag over her shoulder and her jacket slung over her arm.

"Ready to go?" She asks.

"Definitely."

They begin walking towards the elevator; completely in sync without even trying. Not saying a word but communicating their innermost feelings. A hip bump here, a shoulder nudge there.

Castle starts grinning as he remembers what else Ryan had said to him, Kate turns to him, looking concerned for her own well being, as well as his.

"Okay," She squares in front of him, raising her eyebrow. "What is it, Castle?"

"Hah," He grins. "It's just something Ryan said."

She crosses her arms, "And ..?"

"You're no fun." He pouts.

She just glares, waiting on him. But silently glad they've returned to their usual banter, despite everything going on around them.

"He told me to make sure that you get some rest, and eat something fatty."

A faint ghost of a smile played across her lips, she scoffed and faced the floor, a thick curtain shielding her face.

"Beckett!"

Ryan comes skidding around the corner, panic-stricken. Kate and Castle stare at him while he catches his breath, both fearing the worst.

"That was the ER at the Forest Hill Hospital up in Queens," He stops to breathe, then continues. "They've got Espo."

* * *

><p><strong>I apologise greatly for the long time it took me to publish this .. I do have a reason but I really can't be bothered explaining, and it'll take forever anyway. Also, I apologise for my change in tense. Again, a long story, but long story short .. I like it better, easier to read, write and picture(:<br>**

**It shouldn't take me as long to do the next chapter, I'll have more free time as I'm purposely staying off tumblr for a while to avoid 'Always' spoilers .. Jeez.  
><strong>

**Thanks a bunch! Reviews are extremely welcome, and appreciated. Also, if anyone has any ideas as to where they believe the story should go, please let me know :D**


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